Alarm arming with open entry point

ABSTRACT

A magnet and magnetometer may be integrated into a smart home environment and allow it to be placed into an away mode of operation despite an entry point being semi-open. The disclosed implementations can detect a magnetic field strength and determine, based on the detected field strength, an approximate distance that a moveable partition is open. In some configurations, the presence of a second magnetic source can be detected. A notice may be generated based on one or more signals received from the magnetometer. The notice may be sent to a controller, a remote system, a remote device, and/or a client device as disclosed herein.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is related to U.S. application Ser. No. 14/585,225,filed Dec. 30, 2014, issued as U.S. Pat. No. 9,332,616 on May 3, 2016,and to U.S. application Ser. No. 14/585,222, filed Dec. 30, 2014, thecontents of which are hereby incorporated by reference in theirentirety.

BACKGROUND

Conventional door and window security systems may utilize a magnet andmagnetometer to provide an indication of whether an entry point is openor closed. This binary result may be utilized by a home security systemto determine whether it can be placed in an “away” mode or a “home”mode. An “away” mode for the home security system may be utilized, forexample, when the occupants are away (e.g., at work during the day). Inthe away mode, the entry points into a home may be monitored forintrusion. A “home” mode may refer to the home security system's statewhen the occupants are home. The mode can affect the actions taken bythe security system in response to sensed activities in the home. Forexample, in home mode, the sensed opening of an exterior door may resultin no action being taken by the security system. In the away mode, thesensed opening of the same door may be construed as an intrusiondetection and cause an alert to be sent to law enforcement. There canalso be an intermediate mode between stay and away. For example, therecan be a “night” mode for when occupants are sleeping in the home. Thismode can, for example, refrain from triggering an alert to the policebased on sensed movement in the bedroom and hallways, but can send suchan alert when an exterior door is opened. The system can transitionbetween modes when a user enters a security code into an entrywaysecurity system. Such modes apply to the security system for the wholehome.

A home security system that has a home and/or an away state, however,may not detect nuances in usage of entry points and desired securityfeatures. For example, if the system determines that a door is open, thesecurity system may not allow an occupant to place the system into anaway mode. The system may notify the occupant that it cannot be placedin the away mode because an entry point is open. As an example, anoccupant may desire to leave a door or window slightly ajar or open toallow fresh air into the home. To circumvent the home security system,the occupant may place a second magnet in a position that can bedetected by the magnetometer when the door or window is open. Thus, themagnetometer may be tricked into thinking that the door or window isclosed because it detects the presence of the magnetic field emitted bythe magnet. Consequently, the home security system may be placed into anaway mode. The placement of a second magnet can also be utilized by anintruder to trick the home security system into believing that a windowor door is closed when it is actually open.

Some other examples of security systems for entry points employing amagnetometer and a magnet include government and bank installations.These examples tend to utilize extremely complex security systems thatmay utilize balanced read switches that require a specific magneticfield in order to trigger a sensor. The installation of such securitysystems is very complex, often requiring a multi-meter to be connectedto the magnetometer to ensure that the sensor is placed in the correctspot.

BRIEF SUMMARY

According to an implementation of the disclosed subject matter, a systemis provided that includes a magnet fixed to an enclosure of a moveablepartition and a processor. The processor may be configured to receive amagnetometer signal. The processor may determine that the magnetometersignal corresponds to a magnetic field strength less than a magneticfield strength when the moveable partition is substantially closed. Theprocessor may be configured to receive a request to place a homesecurity system into an away mode. It may determine that the magneticfield strength is above a threshold level. Based thereon and responsiveto the request, the processor may place the home security system intothe away mode.

In an implementation, a magnetometer signal may be received. The presentmagnetic field strength may be determined, based on the receivedmagnetometer signal, to be less than a closed magnetic field strengthcorresponding to a magnetic field strength sensed by the magnetometerwhen a moveable partition is closed. A request to place a home securitysystem into an away mode may be received. A present magnetic fieldstrength may be determined to be greater than a threshold magnetic fieldstrength. Based on the determination that the present magnetic fieldstrength is greater than the threshold magnetic field strength andresponsive to the request, the home security system may be placed intothe away mode.

A home security system of a home may be determined to be in a home mode.The home mode, as described above, may allow movement through an entrypoint of the home. The home security system may include a magnetometerand a magnet associated with an entry point of the home. Themagnetometer may be configured to detect a magnetic field of the magnetwhen the magnetometer is a within a threshold distance from the magnet.A request to place the home security system into an away mode may bereceived. The away mode, as described earlier, may detect an intrusioninto the entry point and define a response to the intrusion. A signalmay be received from the magnetometer indicating a magnetic fieldstrength. The entry point may be determined to be open a distance basedon the magnetic field strength detected by the magnetometer. Thedistance that the entry point is open may be determined to be within thethreshold distance. Responsive to the request, the home security systemmay be placed into the away mode.

A home security system is disclosed that includes a magnetometer and amagnet that are associated with an entry point of a home. Themagnetometer may be configured to detect a magnetic field of themagnetic when the magnetometer is within a threshold distance from themagnet. The system may include a processor that is configured todetermine that the system of a home is in a home mode. The home mode mayallow movement through an entry point of the home without dispatching analarm. The processor may be configured to receive a request to place thesystem into an away mode that detects intrusion into the entry point ofthe home and defines a response to the intrusion. The processor mayreceive a signal from the magnetometer indicating a magnetic fieldstrength and it may determine the entry point is open based on themagnetic field strength detected by the magnetometer. The processor maybe configured to determine that the distance is within the thresholddistance and may place the home security system into the away mode inresponse to the request.

A system is disclosed that includes a magnet fixed to a moveablepartition that is surrounded by an enclosure and a processor. Theprocessor may be configured to receive a magnetometer signal anddetermine that the magnetometer signal corresponds to a magnetic fieldstrength that is greater than a magnetic field strength when themoveable partition is substantially closed. The processor may beconfigured to receive a request to place a home security system into anaway mode. The processor may determine that the magnetic field strengthis above a threshold level. Based on the determination that the magneticfield strength is above the threshold level and responsive to therequest, the processor may place the home security system into the awaymode.

In an implementation, a system is provided that includes a magnet fixedto a moveable partition surrounded by an enclosure and a processor. Theprocessor may be configured to receive a magnetometer signal anddetermine that the magnetometer signal corresponds to a magnetic fieldstrength greater than a magnetic field strength when the moveablepartition is substantially closed. The processor may receive a requestto place a home security system into an away mode. It may determine thatthe magnetic field strength is below a threshold level. Based on thedetermination that the magnetic field strength is below the thresholdlevel and responsive to the request, the processor may maintain the homesecurity system into the home mode.

Additional features, advantages, and implementations of the disclosedsubject matter may be set forth or apparent from consideration of thefollowing detailed description, drawings, and claims. Moreover, it is tobe understood that both the foregoing summary and the following detaileddescription provide examples of implementations and are intended toprovide further explanation without limiting the scope of the claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a furtherunderstanding of the disclosed subject matter, are incorporated in andconstitute a part of this specification. The drawings also illustrateimplementations of the disclosed subject matter and together with thedetailed description serve to explain the principles of implementationsof the disclosed subject matter. No attempt is made to show structuraldetails in more detail than may be necessary for a fundamentalunderstanding of the disclosed subject matter and various ways in whichit may be practiced.

FIG. 1A is an example of an enclosure for a moveable partition in whichthe moveable partition is in a closed position, the magnet is fixed tothe enclosure, and the magnetometer is fixed to the enclosure asdisclosed herein.

FIG. 1B is an example of the enclosure for the moveable partition inwhich the moveable partition is in a semi-open position, the magnet isfixed to the enclosure, and the magnetometer is fixed to the enclosureas disclosed herein.

FIG. 1C is an example of the enclosure for the moveable partition inwhich the moveable partition is in an open position, the magnet is fixedto the enclosure, and the magnetometer is fixed to the enclosure asdisclosed herein.

FIG. 1D is an example of an enclosure for a moveable partition in whichthe moveable partition is in a closed position, the magnet is fixed tothe moveable partition, and the magnetometer is fixed to the enclosureas disclosed herein.

FIG. 1E is an example of the enclosure for the moveable partition inwhich the moveable partition is in a semi-open position, the magnet isfixed to the moveable partition, and the magnetometer is fixed to theenclosure as disclosed herein.

FIG. 1F is an example of the enclosure for the moveable partition inwhich the moveable partition is in an open position, the magnet is fixedto the moveable partition, and the magnetometer is fixed to theenclosure as disclosed herein.

FIG. 1G shows an example of a window as the moveable partition asdisclosed herein.

FIG. 2 is an example of a system that can place a home security systeminto an away mode based on the signal from the magnetometer and a userrequest according to an implementation.

FIG. 3 is an example of a door that is substantially shut as disclosedherein.

FIG. 4 is an example representation of a magnetic field strength for amagnet that is detected by a magnetometer over a range of distances asdisclosed herein.

FIG. 5 is an example process for how the system may transition from ahome state (or other state except an away state) to an away state asdisclosed herein.

FIG. 6 is an example of how the magnetometer may be sampled while thesmart home is in an away mode as disclosed herein.

FIG. 7 is an example of a process to determine whether a home may beplaced into an away state based on a magnetic field strength asdisclosed herein.

FIG. 8 is an example process for determining that a home security systemcan be placed into an away mode while an entry point of a home is withina threshold distance closed as disclosed herein.

FIG. 9A shows an example sensor as disclosed herein.

FIG. 9B shows an example of a sensor network as disclosed herein.

FIG. 9C shows an example configuration of sensors, one or morecontrollers, and a remote system as disclosed herein.

FIG. 10A shows a schematic representation of an example of a door thatopens by a hinge mechanism as disclosed herein.

FIG. 10B shows a compass in two different positions that are illustratedin FIG. 8A, according to implementations disclosed herein.

FIG. 11A shows a computer according to an implementation of thedisclosed subject matter.

FIG. 11B shows a network configuration according to an implementation ofthe disclosed subject matter.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Typical home security systems provide for a binary determination ofwhether or not an entry point, such as a door or window, is open orclosed. The disclosed implementations may allow a user to place a homesecurity system into an away mode even though an entry point may not beentirely secure. For example, a window may be open 3 centimeters (cm.)The disclosed system may determine that the window is open, but that itis not open so far as to present a security risk (e.g., a would beintruder cannot slip through the open window). The home security systemmay utilize a magnetometer such as a compass affixed to a door thatdetects a magnet placed on the enclosure for the door. When the door isproximal to the magnet, the security system may determine that it iswithin a threshold distance of the magnet (e.g., substantially closed)and allow a user to place the security system into an away mode.

The compass can provide an indication corresponding to a magnetic fieldand can also provide an indication that a second magnetic field isproximal to the entry point. For example, the compass may provide analogdata that can be received by a processor. The processor may determinethat the compass readings are anomalous due to the presence of a secondmagnetic field as compared to when there was only a single magneticfield. The compass may determine that there is an increase in magneticfield strength and/or that there is an orientation change in the field.For example, the compass may have historically detected a singlemagnetic field in one spot, but it may now detect the presence of asecond magnetic field in a different direction from the first magneticfield. Thus, the compass can determine the orientation or orientationchange from a reference point of a moveable partition (e.g., door orwindow) to which it is associated. While many examples described hereinare in the context of a door, other objects may be utilized according toimplementations disclosed herein. For example, an implementation can beused in connection with a window that slides between an open state and aclosed state, a garage door, a cabinet door, a file drawer, a vehicletailgate, etc. Thus, the magnetometer (e.g., compass) data may indicateproximity to the closed position and/or the presence of a secondmagnetic field.

Initially, the magnetometer's data may be utilized to determine aplacement for the magnetometer to prevent interference from othermagnetic fields. The compass may be controlled by a microcontroller asdescribed below. The microcontroller may establish a sampling rule forthe compass. For example, it may sample the compass, every five secondsor in response to a mode change for the home security system. A samplingmay include receiving a signal that is automatically sent from thecompass according to the sampling frequency. Another sampling mayinclude sending a query to the compass periodically according to thesampling frequency and then receiving a response corresponding to sensedmovement of moveable partition at an entry point.

FIG. 1A and FIG. 1D are examples of an enclosure 140 for a moveablepartition 130 in which the moveable partition 130 is in a closedposition. FIG. 1B and FIG. 1E are examples of the enclosure 140 for themoveable partition 130 in which the moveable partition 130 is in asemi-open position. FIG. 1C and FIG. 1F are examples of the enclosure140 for the moveable partition 130 in which the moveable partition 130is in the open position. In FIGS. 1A-1C, the magnet 110 is located on orvery near the enclosure 140 while in FIGS. 1D-1F the magnet 110 islocated on the moveable partition 110. Similarly, in FIGS. 1A-1C, themagnetometer (e.g., compass) 120 is located on the moveable partition130 while in FIGS. 1D-1F the magnetometer 120 is located on or near theenclosure 140. The implementations disclosed herein may include,therefore, many different permutations for positioning the magnet 120and/or magnetometer 110. For example, in FIGS. 1A-1F, the magnet 110 andmagnetometer 120 are shown near the top of the enclosure 140 and/ormoveable partition 130. They may be similarly positioned at the bottomthereof according to the implementations disclosed herein.

The enclosure shown in FIGS. 1A-1F may be a doorjamb and the moveablepartition may be a sliding door. Other types of enclosures and/or doorsmay be utilized with the implementations disclosed herein. For example,the door can be actuated on a hinge mechanism. FIG. 1G shows an exampleof a window 135 as the moveable partition. The window casing 145 may bean enclosure for the window 135. Other types of enclosures and moveablepartitions (e.g., garage door, shed doors, etc.) may be used inaccordance with the implementations disclosed herein.

FIG. 2 provides an example of a system that can place a home securitysystem into an away mode based on the signal from the magnetometer and auser request. The system may include a magnet 201 and magnetometer 205that may be situated, for example, as illustrated in FIGS. 1A-1G. Themagnet may emit a magnetic field 200 that can be detected by themagnetometer 205 when it is proximal to the magnet 201. The size of themagnetic field 200 may vary depending on the strength of the magnet 201used and/or interference from structural or electrical phenomenon.Similarly, the sensitivity of the magnetometer 205 may be capable ofdetecting the magnet 201 at a greater distance away because it candetect a weaker magnetic field 200. The magnetometer 205 may include aprocessor 210 that operates according to instructions stored in the readonly memory 220. The magnetometer 205 may include a communicationchipset 230 (e.g., a radio antenna, Bluetooth chipset, Near-FieldCommunication, etc.) through which the magnetometer 205 can connect toother devices and/or networks (e.g., Wi-Fi, mesh network, etc.).

The magnetometer 205 may communicate readings or data indicating thedirection and/or strength of a magnetic field 200 to, for example, acontroller and/or remote system 202. The controller and/or remote system202 are described in detail below. The controller may be responsible forcontrolling the functions of a home security system of which themagnetometer 205 and magnet 201 are a part. For example, the magnet 201and magnetometer 205 may be responsible for providing input as to thesecurity of a particular entry point (e.g., whether it is open,semi-open, or closed or secure). The controller 202 may include aprocessor 250 that can read instructions stored to the read only memory270. The controller 202 may include a storage medium 260 for storinginput data it receives from the magnetometer 205 and/or other sensorswith which it is associated (e.g., other magnetometers, light sensors,microphones, etc.) through the communication chipset 260. The controller202 may include a display 290 with which a user may control variousfunctions of the smart home or home security system. For example, theuser may configure times for the system to transition from a home modeto an away mode and/or smart lighting features and/or HVAC functions.The controller 202 may communicate with a remote system (describedbelow), a remote device 208, and/or a client device 299. The remotedevice 208 may be keypad, a device scanner, or the like through which auser can enter, for example, a PIN or password to access the interiorpremises of a home. The remote device 208 may communicate through achipset 235 to the controller 202. In some configurations, the remotedevice 208 may be a device scanner that includes a near fieldcommunication chipset (NFC). A user may bring a NFC-enabled device(e.g., a FOB, a smartphone, etc.) near the device scanner. The remotedevice 208 may receive a device ID for the user and request a passwordor PIN from the user. If the user correctly enters the PIN, the doorwith which the remote device 208 is associated may open.

In some configurations, a client device 299 may communicate with thecontroller via the communication chipset 295. For example, the clientdevice 299 may be notified of potential intrusions into the home or thestatus of the lights, garage door, HVAC, etc. The client device 299 maycontain a display through which a user interface is provided that allowsthe user to send/receive input from the controller 202 and/or remotesystem. The client device 299 may contain a storage medium 293 forstoring the user's preferences and/or input obtained from the controller202 and/or remote system. The processor 291 may handle input and outputrequests to and from the client device 299. In some configurations ofthe system, the magnetometer 205 may communicate input data to theclient device directly or through a remote system. The processor 291 ofthe client device may determine the various states of the entry point.

One of the magnetometer or magnet may be fixed to an enclosure such as awindow casing, a doorjamb, a garage door track, or any other structuraland/or non-moving component near a moveable partition. A moveablepartition may refer to any structure that separates an interior spacefrom an exterior space such as a door, window, garage door, safe door,etc. The positioning of the magnet and magnetometer may be determinedbased on a trial and error technique. For example, a user may place amagnet in a desired location. The user may then slide the magnetometeralong a moveable partition near the magnet. The magnetometer may containone or more LEDs to indicate the relative strength of the magneticfield. A green LED may be provided when the magnetometer detects amagnetic field strength above a threshold value. The user may beinstructed to position the magnetometer in the center of the “green”range.

As shown in FIG. 2, a processor 250 may receive a magnetometer signal.As indicated above, a processor belonging to the remote system and/or aprocessor 291 of the client device 299 may perform the processesdisclosed herein. The magnetometer 205 may provide measurements of thedirection and/or magnitude of a magnetic field. It may express thesemeasurements in the form of amperes per meter, teslas, newtons per meterper ampere, etc. The magnetometer 205 may sample the magnetic fieldcontinuously or periodically. The generated measurements may be providedimmediately to the controller 202, client device 299, remote system,etc. and/or temporarily stored on the magnetometer 205 and transmittedperiodically upon accrual of a specified amount of data.

In an implementation of the system, the processor may determine that themagnetometer signal corresponds to a magnetic field strength less than amagnetic field strength when the moveable partition is substantiallyclosed. FIG. 3 is an example of a door that is substantially shut. Therange the door slides may be represented by the combined distance of310, 320, and 330. In some configurations, the range of movement may bearcuate, such as a hinged door, or have other paths of movement specificto the moveable partition. Substantially closed may refer to a smallportion of the moveable range of the moveable partition. In the exampleshown in FIG. 2, the range of movement represented by 310 may bereferred to as substantially closed. It may refer to the moveablepartition being closed 95% or more of the moveable range (e.g., closerto the magnet in this example). The range of movement represented by 320may be referred to as semi-open. It may refer to the moveable enclosurebeing 94% to 80% closed. The range of movement represented by 330 may bedeemed open. The percentages representing open, semi-open, and closedmay be configured as may be required for an individual and/or specifichome security system. As an example, a substantially closed door may beclosed but not latched (e.g., the door can be pushed open) or crackedopen (e.g., less than 1 cm of distance between the door and thedoorjamb). A semi-open door may have between 1 cm and 15 cm ofseparation from the doorjamb. An open door may be any door havinggreater than 15 cm of separation from the doorjamb. A threshold levelwithin which the home security system may be placed in the away mode isrepresented by 340. It includes both the substantially closed 310 andsemi-open 320 ranges.

The magnetometer may detect a magnetic field in a distance dependentmanner. FIG. 4 is an example representation of a magnetic field strengthfor a magnet that is detected by a magnetometer over a range ofdistances as disclosed herein. The range of the graph represented by 410may refer to measurements obtained by the magnetometer for which it iscompletely saturated. The semi-open range represented by 420 may bedefined by the strength measurements of the magnetometer containedtherein. The moveable partition may be considered open if it is withinthe strength and/or distance defined by 430. Thus, when the magnetometerpresents one or more readings or signal regarding the magnetic fieldstrength, the distance the moveable partition is open can be determined.In some instances, the system may classify the magnetometer readingsinto one of the categories disclosed herein (e.g., open, semi-open,and/or closed) rather than providing a specific distance approximation.The boundary between the closed and semi-open ranges 410, 420 and thesemi-open and open ranges 420, 430 may represent a first threshold and asecond threshold, respectively. The system may utilize the magneticfield strength to differentiate the state of the moveable partition. Itmay, for example, determine that a moveable partition is semi-openbecause the magnetic field strength is below the first threshold thatrepresents the boundary between 410 and 420 and above the secondthreshold between 420 and 430.

The processor may receive a request to place a home security system intoan away mode. As described above, the away mode may refer to the homesecurity system monitoring the home environment and/or premises for anintrusion and/or an abnormality (e.g., a fire, carbon monoxide, movementinside the home when all authorized occupants are not home, etc.). Therequest may be received by the controller and/or remote system. Therequest may be made from the client device, the remote device, and/orthe controller as shown in FIG. 2. For example, a user may be the lastperson at home and leaving to go to work. The user may instruct thesmart home to enter the away state after the user exits the home. Insome configurations, the system may automatically enter the away statebased on a determination that certain conditions have been met. Forexample, it may determine that all authorized occupants are more than 1km away from the home based on GPS readings from the authorizedoccupants' smartphones. The request, therefore, may be generated by thecontroller and/or remote system.

The processor may determine that the magnetic field strength detected bythe magnetometer is above a threshold level. In some configurations, theprocessor may request a sample from the magnetometer to determinewhether the magnetic field strength is above the threshold level basedon a current sample. The controller and/or remote system may store thelast known state of the moveable partition based on a prior magnetometerinput. It may activate the magnetometer only if a change in the homesecurity or smart home mode is detected, a change with the moveablepartition is detected, an intrusion is detected, and/or an abnormalityis detected. In these events, it may request the magnetometer to providea current sample and update the status of the moveable partition (e.g.,store an indication of the status). The threshold level may be based on,for example, 340 in FIG. 3. For example, the threshold may be based on amagnetic strength, above which (e.g., a stronger field), the moveablepartition may be deemed closer to the magnet or more closed. Based onthe determination that the magnetic field strength is above thethreshold level and responsive to the request, the processor may placethe home security system into the away mode.

The processor may be configured to generate a notice that indicates thehome security system is in the away mode and/or that the door is closedenough for it to enter the away mode. The notice may be sent to theclient device and/or the controller and displayed thereon. A notice mayindicate an identity of the moveable partition that has been deemedsemi-open. For example, when the magnetometer is initially configured tocommunicate with the controller and/or remote system, a user may berequested to enter a name and/or position of the magnetometer (e.g.,front door) that can be provided in the notice.

Subsequent to placing the smart home in the away mode, movement of themoveable partition may be detected. For example, while in the away mode,the magnetometer may be periodically sampled to ensure the lack ofmovement of the moveable partition. The system may generate a notice ifit detects any movement or an amount of movement beyond a thresholdamount. For example, the moveable partition may change from indicatingthat it is substantially closed to it is only semi-open or open or thatit has changed from semi-open to open. The notice may be sent to aclient device and/or a third party (e.g., law enforcement). The noticemay indicate the movement, the location of the movement, time of themovement, etc. The notice may cause the controller to emit an audiblewarning and/or flash one or more lights located on the interior of thehome.

In the event that the home security system is in an away mode and themoveable partition is in a semi-open state, if it detects a transitionto an open state, it may generate a response to the movement. Theresponse may be generation of a notice that can be sent to a clientdevice. The response may request the controller to determine whether anauthorized occupant is in the room in which the moveable partition islocated.

In some configurations, the magnet and magnetometer may be positionedsuch that the magnetometer is saturated by the magnetic field from themagnet when it is in the semi-open position. The magnetic field strengthwhen the moveable partition is closed may be less than the saturatedmagnetic field strength, but still above the field strength necessaryfor the home security system to be placed into an away mode. In such aconfiguration, the moveable partition may be open a greater distancewhile still allowing the home security system to be placed into an awaymode.

FIG. 5 is an example process for how the system may transition from ahome state (or other state except an away state) to an away state. Arequest to place the system into an away state may be received at 510.The request may be auto-generated 503 in some instances. For example,the system may determine that the premises are not currently occupied byanyone and/or that all authorized users are not near the premises, e.g.,beyond a geofence, beyond the perimeter of the house, etc. In someinstances, the request may be received from a remote device or clientdevice 505. For example, as a user exits a home, the user may enter in acode at a keypad near an entry point to place the system into the awaymode. The user may place such a request using a controller prior toexiting the home. As another example, the user may place the requestusing a client device such as a smartphone and/or tablet.

Upon receiving the request to place the system into the away mode 510,the system may sample the magnetometer at 520. Based on the magnetometerreadings, the system may determine at 530 whether the moveable partitionis open, semi-open, or closed. If the system determines that themoveable partition is open, then it may maintain its current mode at550. For example, the system may not be able to detect an intruder whoenters the home through an open window. Thus, the system may not allowthe user to place the system in an away mode. The system may generate anotice at 599 that may be emitted by the home (e.g., an audio cue suchas a beep, a visual cue such as flashing a LED) and/or sent to a clientdevice (e.g., the client device may receive a text message, email,etc.). In some configurations, when the system determines that amoveable partition is open at 530, it may notify the user of theparticular moveable partition that is open (e.g., a notice may indicate,for example, “Bedroom 1 window is open.”). It may present the user withthe option to bypass the open moveable partition warning and continue toplace the system in the away state despite the open moveable partition.

If the system determines that the moveable partition is closed, it mayplace the system into an away state at 540. The system may generate anotice to the user to indicate that it has placed the system into theaway state at 599 as disclosed herein.

The system may determine that the moveable partition is in a semi-openstate at 560. For example, the system may determine that a window ordoor is open, but it is within a threshold distance. The system maygenerate a notice for the user that notifies the user of the semi-openstate. For example, it may indicate the particular moveable partitionthat is ajar. In some configurations, the notice may prompt the user toindicate whether to proceed with placing the system into the away statedespite the semi-open moveable partition. In some configurations, thesystem may automatically be placed into an away mode at 560. If the homeis automatically placed in an away mode when a moveable partition is ina semi-open state, a notice may be generated at 599 to indicate thesemi-open moveable partition that is ajar and/or that the system hasbeen placed into the away mode.

FIG. 6 is an example of how the magnetometer may be sampled while thesmart home is in an away mode. Beginning at 601, the security system orsmart home may be in the away mode. A timer may be initiated at 650 uponentering the away state. The timer may be a count down or count uptimer. For example, the timer may count down from five seconds. It maycount up from zero seconds in some configurations. A processor maydetermine if the timer has expired at 660. The timer being expired mayrefer to the timer being at zero if it is counting down or the timerbeing past a threshold amount of time (e.g., five seconds). If theprocessor has not expired, the system may continue to monitor the timerat 660. If the timer has expired, the magnetometer may be sampled at620. The system may determine whether the moveable partition has movedat 630. If there has been no movement the timer may be reset at 640. Ifthe moveable partition has been moved or moved beyond a thresholddistance, then the system may generate a notice. The notice may be sentto the controller, for example, to request the controller to checkwhether there are other abnormalities in the house such as movement inthe room in which the moveable partition is located. In someconfigurations, the generated notice may be a visual and/or audio cue(such as an alarm sound or strobe light). The notice may be sent to aclient device (e.g., personal computer, smartphone, laptop, etc.). Thenotice may indicate the amount of movement, time of the movement, and/orthe location of the detected movement. For example, the notice mayindicate that a door has moved 30 cm. The timer may be reset 640 oncethe notice is generated at 635. In some configurations, a user may, uponreceiving the generated notice provide an instruction to the system at645. The provided instruction, for example, may initiate a silent alarmthat may continue to observe the home and alert law enforcement, but itmay not otherwise provide an indication to a would be intruder that theintrusion has been detected. As another example, the providedinstruction may activate an interior security camera.

While the system is in the away mode 601, it may determine whether therehas been an intrusion or other abnormality with the smart home at 610.For example, a motion camera in a room in which the magnetometer and/ormagnet are located may detect movement therein at 610. In the event suchan intrusion and/or movement is detected, the system may sample themagnetometer at 620 and proceed as described above.

In some configurations, the system may determine at 630 if the door hasmoved beyond a threshold distance. For example, the magnetometer maysample the magnetic fields proximal to it at 620. If the magnetic fieldstrength is above a threshold level of field strength, the system maynot generate a notice at 635. For example, a door connected to its frameby a hinge mechanism may move slightly in a breeze. The movement may bedetected, but it may not be enough movement for the system to generatean alarm. As shown in FIG. 4 for example, the magnetic field strengthmay still be in the range indicated by 420. If, however, the movement issufficient to place the system in the range indicated by 430, then anotice may be generated at 635. Thus, movement of the moveable partitionat 630 may be based on the measurement of the magnetic field strength.

FIG. 7 is an example of a process to determine whether a home may beplaced into an away state based on a magnetic field strength asdisclosed herein. At 710, a magnetometer signal may be received asdescribed above. A present magnetic field strength may be determined,based on the received magnetic field strength, to be less than a closedmagnetic field strength at 720. A closed magnetic field strength mayrefer to the magnetic field strength sensed by the magnetometer when themoveable partition is closed or a semi-open position. For example, theclosed or semi open position may refer to 410 and 420 of FIG. 4. Thepresent magnetic field strength may fall within the range indicated by430. A request to place a smart home or home security system into anaway mode may be received at 730 as described herein. For example, auser may close a door that was open to a semi-open distance. The presentmagnetic field may be ascertained by the magnetometer (e.g., a secondmagnetometer signal may be received) and determined to be greater than athreshold magnetic field strength at 740. The threshold magnetic fieldmay refer to, for example, a magnetic field strength represented by 410and 420. The threshold may be adjusted depending on the applicationand/or an individual hardware manufacturer's specification or design.Based on the determination that the present magnetic field strength isgreater than the threshold magnetic field strength and responsive to therequest, the home security system may be placed into an away mode at750. Placement into an away mode may refer to activating one or moresensors configured to detect intrusion into the home and/orabnormalities with the home (e.g., fire, smoke, carbon monoxide, etc.).

In an implementation, a system is disclosed that includes a magnet fixedto a moveable partition that is surrounded by an enclosure (see FIGS.1D-1F for example) and a processor. The processor may be configured toreceive a magnetometer signal and determine that a magnetic fieldstrength, based on the magnetometer signal, is more than a magneticfield strength when the moveable partition is substantially closed asdescribed above. The processor may receive a request to place the homesecurity system into an away mode as described earlier. The processormay determine that the magnetic field strength is above a thresholdlevel and, responsive to the request and based on based on thedetermination, place the home security system into the away mode.

FIG. 8 is an example process for determining that a home security systemcan be placed into an away mode while an entry point of a home is withina threshold distance closed. At 810, a home security system of a homemay be determined to be in a home mode. A home mode may allow movementthrough an entry point of the home. The home security system may includea magnetometer and a magnet associated with the entry point of the home.An entry point may refer to a location of ingress or egress for a humanor an animal into a home such as a door, a window, a pet door, and agarage door. The entry point may include an enclosure and a moveablepartition as described earlier. The magnetometer, such as a compass, maybe configured to detect a magnetic field of the magnet when themagnetometer is within a threshold distance from the magnet as describedabove.

At 820, a request to place the home security system into an away modemay be received. The away mode may detect an intrusion into the entrypoint of the home and define a response to the intrusion. The responsemay be an alarm, a notice to law enforcement and/or a client device,etc. A signal from the magnetometer may be received at 830 thatindicates a magnetic field strength.

A distance that an entry point is open may be determined based on themagnetic field strength detected by the magnetometer at 840. Thedistance determined may be in relative terms such as open, semi-open, orclosed as shown in FIG. 3. For example, it may be determined that themagnetic field strength falls into the range shown in FIG. 4 representedby 420. It may be determined that the distance the entry point is openis semi-open. In some configurations, a physical distance may beapproximated or computed based on the magnetic field strength. Thedistance that the entry point is open may be determined to be within thethreshold distance at 850 as describe above. Based on the determinationat 850 and responsive to the received request at 820, the home securitysystem may be placed into the away mode at 860. A response may begenerated once the system is placed into the away mode. The response maybe sent to a controller, a client device, and/or a remote device asdescribed earlier.

If movement of the moveable partition at the entry point is detected,the system may determine that the distance the entry point is open isnot within the threshold distance. It may dispatch an alarm such as avisual cue, an audio cue, a notice to a client device and/or lawenforcement, and/or a notice to the controller.

In some configurations, a presence of a second magnetic field may bedetected. For example, a user may place a second magnet near the top ofa window enclosure such that when the window is open, the magnetometeris brought in proximity to the magnet. The second magnetic field may bedetected by the strength of the magnetic field and/or the magnetic fieldstrength profile. The profile, for example, may indicate a strong fieldwhen the window is in the closed position and the second field providingan indication of the second magnetic field. The profile may observe themagnetic field strength for the entire range of movement for themoveable partition (e.g., from closed to open). The profile may beestablished during the initial set-up of the magnetometer and magnet andmay be stored to computer readable medium of the controller and/or aremote system. The profile may be used as a basis of comparison at asubsequent time.

In an implementation, a system is provided that may include amagnetometer, a magnet, and a processor. The magnetometer and magnet maybe associated an entry point of a home as described above. The processormay be configured to determine the system of a home is in a home mode asdescribed above. The processor may receive a request to place the systeminto an away mode. It may receive a signal from the magnetometerindicating a magnetic field strength and determine a distance the entrypoint is open based on the magnetic field strength detected by themagnetometer as described earlier. The processor may be configured todetermine that the distance that the entry point is open is within thethreshold distance. It may place the home security system into the awaymode based on the determined distance and responsive to the request.

As described above, a smart home environment or home security system mayoperate in at least two modes, a home mode and an away mode. A user mayelect to place the system into the away mode (e.g., armed) despite amoveable partition such as a window being open or semi-open. After beingplaced in the away state, the system may detect that the moveablepartition has been moved from an open to semi-open or closed state orfrom a semi-open to closed state. As an example, a user may exit a homeand request the system to be placed into an away state. The system maygenerate a notice that is provided to the user that indicates a backdoor is open. The user may elect to place the system into the awaystate. Subsequent to the system being placed in the away state, the usermay place the door in a semi-open or closed state from the outside ofthe home. The system may generate a notice that indicates to the userthat the moveable partition has been moved into a semi-open or closedposition, respectively.

In some configurations, a smart home environment may be occupied byusers (e.g., authorized occupants of the home). The system may detectthat a window to a bedroom has been placed in an open position or asemi-open position. The system's response to the open window may bebased on the time of day and type of day (e.g., holiday, weekday,weekend) and/or other learned behavior (e.g., occupancy, past behaviorof occupants, etc.). During the daytime of the weekend, the system maybe configured to ignore movement of a moveable partition while the homeis occupied (e.g., in a home mode). At night, the system may havepreviously observed, for example, a window being placed in an open orsemi-open position between the hours of 10:00 PM and 12:00 AM in a firstbedroom and 8:00 PM and 8:30 PM of a second bedroom. Movement of awindow to the open or semi-open position during these time-periods maybe ignored by the system based on the learned behavior. In someinstances, if the moveable partition is in the open state, the systemmay notify the user of the potential security threat (e.g., the openstate of a window in bedroom 1) shortly after the moveable partition isplaced in the open position. In some instances, the system maydetermine, in addition to the timing of the observed behavior, if theopening of the moveable partition occurred from the inside or outside ofthe house. For example, motion sensors located in and outside the homemay indicate motion originating from the interior of the home coincidentwith the timing of the window being opened. If, however, the systemdetects movement of the window outside of the learned times, it maygenerate a notice for an authorized occupant. For example, if a windowto bedroom 1 is placed in a semi-open position at 12:45 AM, the systemmay determine that this is an atypical behavior for this particularwindow and alert a client device belonging to an authorized user.

In some implementations, a magnetometer such as a compass may provide anindication of orientation of a hinged door (see, for example, FIGS. 10Aand 10B) relative to a geomagnetic field. The orientation may beutilized to determine whether the door is in an open, semi-open, orclosed state. The magnetometer may be calibrated to determineorientation in a closed position. The system may determine that asemi-open position of the door may refer to the door being moved fivedegrees or less relative to the closed position. Beyond five degrees,the door may be deemed open. Thus, the presence of a magnet is notnecessary to ascertain a state of the door. In the event a magnet isplaced near the door, the magnet may provide a stronger magnetic fieldthan the geomagnetic field. The system may indicate the presence of themagnet to an authorized occupant.

Implementations disclosed herein may use one or more sensors. Ingeneral, a “sensor” may refer to any device that can obtain informationabout its environment. Sensors may be described by the type ofinformation they collect. For example, sensor types as disclosed hereinmay include motion, smoke, carbon monoxide, proximity, temperature,time, physical orientation, acceleration, location, entry, presence,pressure, light, sound, and the like. A sensor also may be described interms of the particular physical device that obtains the environmentalinformation. For example, an accelerometer may obtain accelerationinformation, and thus may be used as a general motion sensor and/or anacceleration sensor. A sensor also may be described in terms of thespecific hardware components used to implement the sensor. For example,a temperature sensor may include a thermistor, thermocouple, resistancetemperature detector, integrated circuit temperature detector, orcombinations thereof. A sensor also may be described in terms of afunction or functions the sensor performs within an integrated sensornetwork, such as a smart home environment as disclosed herein. Forexample, a sensor may operate as a security sensor when it is used todetermine security events such as unauthorized entry. A sensor mayoperate with different functions at different times, such as where amotion sensor is used to control lighting in a smart home environmentwhen an authorized user is present, and is used to alert to unauthorizedor unexpected movement when no authorized user is present, or when analarm system is in an “armed” state, or the like. In some cases, asensor may operate as multiple sensor types sequentially orconcurrently, such as where a temperature sensor is used to detect achange in temperature, as well as the presence of a person or animal. Asensor also may operate in different modes at the same or differenttimes. For example, a sensor may be configured to operate in one modeduring the day and another mode at night. As another example, a sensormay operate in different modes based upon a state of a home securitysystem or a smart home environment, or as otherwise directed by such asystem.

In general, a “sensor” as disclosed herein may include multiple sensorsor sub-sensors, such as where a position sensor includes both a globalpositioning sensor (GPS) as well as a wireless network sensor, whichprovides data that can be correlated with known wireless networks toobtain location information. Multiple sensors may be arranged in asingle physical housing, such as where a single device includesmovement, temperature, magnetic, and/or other sensors. Such a housingalso may be referred to as a sensor, a sensor device, or a sensorpackage. For clarity, sensors are described with respect to theparticular functions they perform and/or the particular physicalhardware used, when such specification is necessary for understanding ofthe implementations disclosed herein.

A sensor may include hardware in addition to the specific physicalsensor that obtains information about the environment. FIG. 9A shows anexample sensor as disclosed herein. The sensor 60 may include anenvironmental sensor 61, such as a temperature sensor, smoke sensor,carbon monoxide sensor, motion sensor, accelerometer, proximity sensor,passive infrared (PIR) sensor, magnetic field sensor, radio frequency(RF) sensor, light sensor, humidity sensor, pressure sensor, microphone,or any other suitable environmental sensor, that obtains a correspondingtype of information about the environment in which the sensor 60 islocated. A processor 64 may receive and analyze data obtained by thesensor 61, control operation of other components of the sensor 60, andprocess communication between the sensor and other devices. Theprocessor 64 may execute instructions stored on a computer-readablememory 65. The memory 65 or another memory in the sensor 60 may alsostore environmental data obtained by the sensor 61. A communicationinterface 63, such as a Wi-Fi or other wireless interface, Ethernet orother local network interface, or the like may allow for communicationby the sensor 60 with other devices. A user interface (UI) 62 mayprovide information and/or receive input from a user of the sensor. TheUI 62 may include, for example, a speaker to output an audible alarmwhen an event is detected by the sensor 60. Alternatively, or inaddition, the UI 62 may include a light to be activated when an event isdetected by the sensor 60. The user interface may be relatively minimal,such as a liquid crystal display (LCD), light-emitting diode (LED)display, or limited-output display, or it may be a full-featuredinterface such as a touchscreen. Components within the sensor 60 maytransmit and receive information to and from one another via an internalbus or other mechanism as will be readily understood by one of skill inthe art. One or more components may be implemented in a single physicalarrangement, such as where multiple components are implemented on asingle integrated circuit. Sensors as disclosed herein may include othercomponents, and/or may not include all of the illustrative componentsshown.

In some configurations, two or more sensors may generate data that canbe used by a processor of a system to generate a response and/or infer astate of the environment. For example, an ambient light sensor in a roommay determine that the room is dark (e.g., less than 60 lux). Amicrophone in the room may detect a sound above a set threshold, such as60 dB. The system processor may determine, based on the data generatedby both sensors that it should activate one or more lights in the room.In the event the processor only received data from the ambient lightsensor, the system may not have any basis to alter the state of thelighting in the room. Similarly, if the processor only received datafrom the microphone, the system may lack sufficient data to determinewhether activating the lights in the room is necessary, for example,during the day the room may already be bright or during the night thelights may already be on. As another example, two or more sensors maycommunicate with one another. Thus, data generated by multiple sensorssimultaneously or nearly simultaneously may be used to determine a stateof an environment and, based on the determined state, generate aresponse.

As another example, a security system may employ a magnetometer affixedto a doorjamb and a magnet affixed to the door. When the door is closed,the magnetometer may detect the magnetic field emanating from themagnet. If the door is opened, the increased distance may cause themagnetic field near the magnetometer to be too weak to be detected bythe magnetometer. If the security system is activated, it may interpretsuch non-detection as the door being ajar or open. In someconfigurations, a separate sensor or a sensor integrated into one ormore of the magnetometer and/or magnet may be incorporated to providedata regarding the status of the door. For example, an accelerometerand/or a compass may be affixed to the door and indicate the status ofthe door and/or augment the data provided by the magnetometer. FIG. 10Ashows a schematic representation of an example of a door that opens by ahinge mechanism 91. In the first position 92, the door is closed and thecompass 98 may indicate a first direction. The door may be opened at avariety of positions as shown 93, 94, 95. The fourth position 95 mayrepresent the maximum amount the door can be opened. Based on thecompass 98 readings, the position of the door may be determined and/ordistinguished more specifically than merely open or closed. In thesecond position 93, for example, the door may not be far enough apartfor a person to enter the home. A compass or similar sensor may be usedin conjunction with a magnet, such as to more precisely determine adistance from the magnet, or it may be used alone and provideenvironmental information based on the ambient magnetic field, as with aconventional compass.

FIG. 10B shows a compass 98 in two different positions, 92, 94, fromFIG. 10A. In the first position 92, the compass detects a firstdirection 96. The compass's direction is indicated as 97 and it may be aknown distance from a particular location. For example, when affixed toa door, the compass may automatically determine the distance from thedoorjamb or a user may input a distance from the doorjamb. The distancerepresenting how far away from the doorjamb the door is 99 may becomputed by a variety of trigonometric formulas. In the first position92, the door is indicated as not being separate from the doorjamb (i.e.,closed) 99. Although features 96 and 97 are shown as distinct in FIG.10B, they may overlap entirely. In the second position 94, the distancebetween the doorjamb and the door 99 may indicate that the door has beenopened wide enough that a person may enter. Thus, the sensors may beintegrated into a home security system, mesh network, or work incombination with other sensors positioned in and/or around anenvironment.

In some configurations, an accelerometer may be employed to indicate howquickly the door is moving. For example, the door may be lightly movingdue to a breeze. This may be contrasted with a rapid movement due to aperson swinging the door open. The data generated by the compass,accelerometer, and/or magnetometer may be analyzed and/or provided to acentral system such as a controller 73 and/or remote system 74 aspreviously described. The data may be analyzed to learn a user behavior,an environment state, and/or as a component of a home security or homeautomation system. While the above example is described in the contextof a door, a person having ordinary skill in the art will appreciate theapplicability of the disclosed subject matter to other implementationssuch as a window, garage door, fireplace doors, vehicle windows/doors,faucet positions (e.g., an outdoor spigot), a gate, seating position,etc.

Data generated by one or more sensors may indicate a behavior pattern ofone or more users and/or an environment state over time, and thus may beused to “learn” such characteristics. For example, data generated by anambient light sensor in a room of a house and the time of day may bestored in a local or remote storage medium with the permission of an enduser. A processor in communication with the storage medium may compute abehavior based on the data generated by the light sensor. The lightsensor data may indicate that the amount of light detected increasesuntil an approximate time or time period, such as 3:30 PM, and thendeclines until another approximate time or time period, such as 5:30 PM,at which point there is an abrupt increase in the amount of lightdetected. In many cases, the amount of light detected after the secondtime period may be either below a dark level of light (e.g., under orequal to 60 lx) or bright (e.g., equal to or above 400 lx). In thisexample, the data may indicate that after 5:30 PM, an occupant isturning on/off a light as the occupant of the room in which the sensoris located enters/leaves the room. At other times, the light sensor datamay indicate that no lights are turned on/off in the room. The system,therefore, may learn that occupants patterns of turning on and offlights, and may generate a response to the learned behavior. Forexample, at 5:30 PM, a smart home environment or other sensor networkmay automatically activate the lights in the room if it detects anoccupant in proximity to the home. In some implementations, suchbehavior patterns may be verified using other sensors. Continuing theexample, user behavior regarding specific lights may be verified and/orfurther refined based upon states of, or data gathered by, smartswitches, outlets, lamps, and the like.

Sensors as disclosed herein may operate within a communication network,such as a conventional wireless network, and/or a sensor-specificnetwork through which sensors may communicate with one another and/orwith dedicated other devices. In some configurations, one or moresensors may provide information to one or more other sensors, to acentral controller, or to any other device capable of communicating on anetwork with the one or more sensors. A central controller may begeneral- or special-purpose. For example, one type of central controlleris a home automation network that collects and analyzes data from one ormore sensors within the home. Another example of a central controller isa special-purpose controller that is dedicated to a subset of functions,such as a security controller that collects and analyzes sensor dataprimarily or exclusively as it relates to various securityconsiderations for a location. A central controller may be locatedlocally with respect to the sensors with which it communicates and fromwhich it obtains sensor data, such as in the case where it is positionedwithin a home that includes a home automation and/or sensor network.Alternatively or in addition, a central controller as disclosed hereinmay be remote from the sensors, such as where the central controller isimplemented as a cloud-based system that communicates with multiplesensors, which may be located at multiple locations and may be local orremote with respect to one another.

FIG. 9B shows an example of a sensor network as disclosed herein, whichmay be implemented over any suitable wired and/or wireless communicationnetworks. One or more sensors 71, 72 may communicate via a local network70, such as a Wi-Fi or other suitable network, with each other and/orwith a controller 73. The controller may be a general- orspecial-purpose computer such as a smartphone, a smartwatch, a tablet, alaptop, etc. The controller may, for example, receive, aggregate, and/oranalyze environmental information received from the sensors 71, 72. Thesensors 71, 72 and the controller 73 may be located locally to oneanother, such as within a single dwelling, office space, building, room,or the like, or they may be remote from each other, such as where thecontroller 73 is implemented in a remote system 74 such as a cloud-basedreporting and/or analysis system. In some configurations, the system mayhave multiple controllers 74 such as where multiple occupants'smartphones and/or smartwatches are authorized to control and/orsend/receive data to or from the various sensors 71, 72 deployed in thehome. Alternatively or in addition, sensors may communicate directlywith a remote system 74. The remote system 74 may, for example,aggregate data from multiple locations, provide instruction, softwareupdates, and/or aggregated data to a controller 73 and/or sensors 71,72.

The devices of the security system and smart-home environment of thedisclosed subject matter may be communicatively connected via thenetwork 70, which may be a mesh-type network such as Thread, whichprovides network architecture and/or protocols for devices tocommunicate with one another. Typical home networks may have a singledevice point of communications. Such networks may be prone to failure,such that devices of the network cannot communicate with one anotherwhen the single device point does not operate normally. The mesh-typenetwork of Thread, which may be used in the security system of thedisclosed subject matter, may avoid communication using a single device.That is, in the mesh-type network, such as network 70, there is nosingle point of communication that may fail and prohibit devices coupledto the network from communicating with one another.

The communication and network protocols used by the devicescommunicatively coupled to the network 70 may provide securecommunications, minimize the amount of power used (i.e., be powerefficient), and support a wide variety of devices and/or products in ahome, such as appliances, access control, climate control, energymanagement, lighting, safety, and security. For example, the protocolssupported by the network and the devices connected thereto may have anopen protocol that may carry IPv6 natively.

The Thread network, such as network 70, may be easy to set up and secureto use. The network 70 may use an authentication scheme, AES (AdvancedEncryption Standard) encryption, or the like to reduce and/or minimizesecurity holes that exist in other wireless protocols. The Threadnetwork may be scalable to connect devices (e.g., 2, 5, 10, 20, 50, 100,150, 200, or more devices) into a single network supporting multiplehops (e.g., to provide communications between devices when one or morenodes of the network is not operating normally). The network 70, whichmay be a Thread network, may provide security at the network andapplication layers. One or more devices communicatively coupled to thenetwork 70 (e.g., controller 73, remote system 74, and the like) maystore product install codes to ensure only authorized devices can jointhe network 70. One or more operations and communications of network 70may use cryptography, such as public-key cryptography.

The devices communicatively coupled to the network 70 of the smart-homeenvironment and/or security system disclosed herein may low powerconsumption and/or reduced power consumption. That is, devicesefficiently communicate to with one another and operate to providefunctionality to the user, where the devices may have reduced batterysize and increased battery lifetimes over conventional devices. Thedevices may include sleep modes to increase battery life and reducepower requirements. For example, communications between devices coupledto the network 70 may use the power-efficient IEEE 802.15.4 MAC/PHYprotocol. In embodiments of the disclosed subject matter, shortmessaging between devices on the network 70 may conserve bandwidth andpower. The routing protocol of the network 70 may reduce networkoverhead and latency. The communication interfaces of the devicescoupled to the smart-home environment may include wirelesssystem-on-chips to support the low-power, secure, stable, and/orscalable communications network 70.

The sensor network shown in FIG. 9B may be an example of a smart-homeenvironment. The depicted smart-home environment may include astructure, a house, office building, garage, mobile home, or the like.The devices of the smart home environment, such as the sensors 71, 72,the controller 73, and the network 70 may be integrated into asmart-home environment that does not include an entire structure, suchas an apartment, condominium, or office space.

The smart home environment can control and/or be coupled to devicesoutside of the structure. For example, one or more of the sensors 71, 72may be located outside the structure, for example, at one or moredistances from the structure (e.g., sensors 71, 72 may be disposedoutside the structure, at points along a land perimeter on which thestructure is located, and the like. One or more of the devices in thesmart home environment need not physically be within the structure. Forexample, the controller 73 which may receive input from the sensors 71,72 may be located outside of the structure.

The structure of the smart-home environment may include a plurality ofrooms, separated at least partly from each other via walls. The wallscan include interior walls or exterior walls. Each room can furtherinclude a floor and a ceiling. Devices of the smart-home environment,such as the sensors 71, 72, may be mounted on, integrated with and/orsupported by a wall, floor, or ceiling of the structure.

The smart-home environment including the sensor network shown in FIG. 9Bmay include a plurality of devices, including intelligent,multi-sensing, network-connected devices, that can integrate seamlesslywith each other and/or with a central server or a cloud-computing system(e.g., controller 73 and/or remote system 74) to provide home-securityand smart-home features. The smart-home environment may include one ormore intelligent, multi-sensing, network-connected thermostats (e.g.,“smart thermostats”), one or more intelligent, network-connected,multi-sensing hazard detection units (e.g., “smart hazard detectors”),and one or more intelligent, multi-sensing, network-connected entrywayinterface devices (e.g., “smart doorbells”). The smart hazard detectors,smart thermostats, and smart doorbells may be the sensors 71, 72 shownin FIG. 9B.

For example, a smart thermostat may detect ambient climatecharacteristics (e.g., temperature and/or humidity) and may control anHVAC (heating, ventilating, and air conditioning) system accordingly ofthe structure. For example, the ambient client characteristics may bedetected by sensors 71, 72 shown in FIG. 9B, and the controller 73 maycontrol the HVAC system (not shown) of the structure.

As another example, a smart hazard detector may detect the presence of ahazardous substance or a substance indicative of a hazardous substance(e.g., smoke, fire, or carbon monoxide). For example, smoke, fire,and/or carbon monoxide may be detected by sensors 71, 72 shown in FIG.9B, and the controller 73 may control an alarm system to provide avisual and/or audible alarm to the user of the smart-home environment.

As another example, a smart doorbell may control doorbell functionality,detect a person's approach to or departure from a location (e.g., anouter door to the structure), and announce a person's approach ordeparture from the structure via audible and/or visual message that isoutput by a speaker and/or a display coupled to, for example, thecontroller 73.

In some implementations, the smart-home environment of the sensornetwork shown in FIG. 9B may include one or more intelligent,multi-sensing, network-connected wall switches (e.g., “smart wallswitches”), one or more intelligent, multi-sensing, network-connectedwall plug interfaces (e.g., “smart wall plugs”). The smart wall switchesand/or smart wall plugs may be or include one or more of the sensors 71,72 shown in FIG. 9B. A smart wall switch may detect ambient lightingconditions, and control a power and/or dim state of one or more lights.For example, a sensor such as sensors 71, 72, may detect ambientlighting conditions, and a device such as the controller 73 may controlthe power to one or more lights (not shown) in the smart-homeenvironment. Smart wall switches may also control a power state or speedof a fan, such as a ceiling fan. For example, sensors 72, 72 may detectthe power and/or speed of a fan, and the controller 73 may adjust thepower and/or speed of the fan, accordingly. Smart wall plugs may controlsupply of power to one or more wall plugs (e.g., such that power is notsupplied to the plug if nobody is detected to be within the smart-homeenvironment). For example, one of the smart wall plugs may controlsupply of power to a lamp (not shown).

In implementations of the disclosed subject matter, a smart-homeenvironment may include one or more intelligent, multi-sensing,network-connected entry detectors (e.g., “smart entry detectors”). Suchdetectors may be or include one or more of the sensors 71, 72 shown inFIG. 9B. The illustrated smart entry detectors (e.g., sensors 71, 72)may be disposed at one or more windows, doors, and other entry points ofthe smart-home environment for detecting when a window, door, or otherentry point is opened, broken, breached, and/or compromised. The smartentry detectors may generate a corresponding signal to be provided tothe controller 73 and/or the remote system 74 when a window or door isopened, closed, breached, and/or compromised. In some implementations ofthe disclosed subject matter, the alarm system, which may be includedwith controller 73 and/or coupled to the network 70 may not arm unlessall smart entry detectors (e.g., sensors 71, 72) indicate that alldoors, windows, entryways, and the like are closed and/or that all smartentry detectors are armed. In some configurations, such as the doorexample shown in FIGS. 10A and 10B, the system may arm if it can bedetermined that the distance the door (or window) is ajar isinsubstantial (e.g., the opening is not wide enough for a person to fitthrough).

The smart-home environment of the sensor network shown in FIG. 9B caninclude one or more intelligent, multi-sensing, network-connecteddoorknobs (e.g., “smart doorknob”). For example, the sensors 71, 72 maybe coupled to a doorknob of a door (e.g., doorknobs 122 located onexternal doors of the structure of the smart-home environment). However,it should be appreciated that smart doorknobs can be provided onexternal and/or internal doors of the smart-home environment.

The smart thermostats, the smart hazard detectors, the smart doorbells,the smart wall switches, the smart wall plugs, the smart entrydetectors, the smart doorknobs, the keypads, and other devices of asmart-home environment (e.g., as illustrated as sensors 71, 72 of FIG.9B) can be communicatively coupled to each other via the network 70, andto the controller 73 and/or remote system 74 to provide security,safety, and/or comfort for the smart home environment.

A user can interact with one or more of the network-connected smartdevices (e.g., via the network 70). For example, a user can communicatewith one or more of the network-connected smart devices using a computer(e.g., a desktop computer, laptop computer, tablet, or the like) orother portable electronic device (e.g., a smartphone, a tablet, a keyFOB, or the like). A webpage or application can be configured to receivecommunications from the user and control the one or more of thenetwork-connected smart devices based on the communications and/or topresent information about the device's operation to the user. Forexample, the user can view, arm or disarm the security system of thehome.

One or more users can control one or more of the network-connected smartdevices in the smart-home environment using a network-connected computeror portable electronic device. In some examples, some or all of theusers (e.g., individuals who live in the home) can register their mobiledevice and/or key FOBs with the smart-home environment (e.g., with thecontroller 73). Such registration can be made at a central server (e.g.,the controller 73 and/or the remote system 74) to authenticate the userand/or the electronic device as being associated with the smart-homeenvironment, and to provide permission to the user to use the electronicdevice to control the network-connected smart devices and the securitysystem of the smart-home environment. A user can use their registeredelectronic device to remotely control the network-connected smartdevices and security system of the smart-home environment, such as whenthe occupant is at work or on vacation. The user may also use theirregistered electronic device to control the network-connected smartdevices when the user is located inside the smart-home environment.

Alternatively, or in addition to registering electronic devices, thesmart-home environment may make inferences about which individuals livein the home and are therefore users and which electronic devices areassociated with those individuals. As such, the smart-home environmentmay “learn” who is a user (e.g., an authorized user) and permit theelectronic devices associated with those individuals to control thenetwork-connected smart devices of the smart-home environment (e.g.,devices communicatively coupled to the network 70), in someimplementations including sensors used by or within the smart-homeenvironment. Various types of notices and other information may beprovided to users via messages sent to one or more user electronicdevices. For example, the messages can be sent via email, short messageservice (SMS), multimedia messaging service (MMS), unstructuredsupplementary service data (USSD), as well as any other type ofmessaging services and/or communication protocols.

A smart-home environment may include communication with devices outsideof the smart-home environment but within a proximate geographical rangeof the home. For example, the smart-home environment may include anoutdoor lighting system (not shown) that communicates informationthrough the communication network 70 or directly to a central server orcloud-computing system (e.g., controller 73 and/or remote system 74)regarding detected movement and/or presence of people, animals, and anyother objects and receives back commands for controlling the lightingaccordingly.

The controller 73 and/or remote system 74 can control the outdoorlighting system based on information received from the othernetwork-connected smart devices in the smart-home environment. Forexample, in the event that any of the network-connected smart devices,such as smart wall plugs located outdoors, detect movement at nighttime,the controller 73 and/or remote system 74 can activate the outdoorlighting system and/or other lights in the smart-home environment.

In some configurations, a remote system 74 may aggregate data frommultiple locations, such as multiple buildings, multi-residentbuildings, and individual residences within a neighborhood, multipleneighborhoods, and the like. In general, multiple sensor/controllersystems 81, 82 as previously described with respect to FIG. 9B mayprovide information to the remote system 74 as shown in FIG. 9C. Thesystems 81, 82 may provide data directly from one or more sensors aspreviously described, or the data may be aggregated and/or analyzed bylocal controllers such as the controller 73, which then communicateswith the remote system 74. The remote system may aggregate and analyzethe data from multiple locations, and may provide aggregate results toeach location. For example, the remote system 74 may examine largerregions for common sensor data or trends in sensor data, and provideinformation on the identified commonality or environmental data trendsto each local system 81, 82.

In situations in which the systems discussed here collect personalinformation about users, or may make use of personal information, theusers may be provided with an opportunity to control whether programs orfeatures collect user information (e.g., information about a user'ssocial network, social actions or activities, profession, a user'spreferences, or a user's current location), or to control whether and/orhow to receive content from the content server that may be more relevantto the user. In addition, certain data may be treated in one or moreways before it is stored or used, so that personally identifiableinformation is removed. As another example, systems disclosed herein mayallow a user to restrict the information collected by the systemsdisclosed herein to applications specific to the user, such as bydisabling or limiting the extent to which such information is aggregatedor used in analysis with other information from other users. Thus, theuser may have control over how information is collected about the userand used by a system as disclosed herein.

Implementations of the presently disclosed subject matter may beimplemented in and used with a variety of component and networkarchitectures. FIG. 11A is an example computer 20 suitable forimplementations of the presently disclosed subject matter. The computer20 includes a bus 21 which interconnects major components of thecomputer 20, such as a central processor 24, a memory 27 (typically RAM,but which may also include ROM, flash RAM, or the like), an input/outputcontroller 28, a user display 22, such as a display screen via a displayadapter, a user input interface 26, which may include one or morecontrollers and associated user input devices such as a keyboard, mouse,and the like, and may be closely coupled to the I/O controller 28, fixedstorage 23, such as a hard drive, flash storage, Fibre Channel network,SAN device, SCSI device, and the like, and a removable media component25 operative to control and receive an optical disk, flash drive, andthe like.

The bus 21 allows data communication between the central processor 24and the memory 27, which may include read-only memory (ROM) or flashmemory (neither shown), and random access memory (RAM) (not shown), aspreviously noted. The RAM is generally the main memory into which theoperating system and application programs are loaded. The ROM or flashmemory can contain, among other code, the Basic Input-Output system(BIOS) that controls basic hardware operation such as the interactionwith peripheral components. Applications resident with the computer 20are generally stored on and accessed via a computer readable medium,such as a hard disk drive (e.g., fixed storage 23), an optical drive,floppy disk, or other storage medium 25.

The fixed storage 23 may be integral with the computer 20 or may beseparate and accessed through other interfaces. A network interface 29may provide a direct connection to a remote server via a telephone link,to the Internet via an Internet service provider (ISP), or a directconnection to a remote server via a direct network link to the Internetvia a POP (point of presence) or other technique. The network interface29 may provide such connection using wireless techniques, includingdigital cellular telephone connection, Cellular Digital Packet Data(CDPD) connection, digital satellite data connection, or the like. Forexample, the network interface 29 may allow the computer to communicatewith other computers via one or more local, wide-area, or othernetworks, as shown in FIG. 11B.

Many other devices or components (not shown) may be connected in asimilar manner (e.g., document scanners, digital cameras, and so on).Conversely, all of the components shown in FIG. 11A need not be presentto practice the present disclosure. The components can be interconnectedin different ways from that shown. The operation of a computer such asthat shown in FIG. 11A is readily known in the art and is not discussedin detail in this application. Code to implement the present disclosurecan be stored in computer-readable storage media such as one or more ofthe memory 27, fixed storage 23, removable media 25, or on a remotestorage location.

FIG. 11B shows an example network arrangement according to animplementation of the disclosed subject matter. One or more clients 10,11, such as local computers, smart phones, tablet computing devices, andthe like may connect to other devices via one or more networks 7. Thenetwork may be a local network, wide-area network, the Internet, or anyother suitable communication network or networks, and may be implementedon any suitable platform including wired and/or wireless networks. Theclients may communicate with one or more servers 13 and/or databases 15.The devices may be directly accessible by the clients 10, 11, or one ormore other devices may provide intermediary access such as where aserver 13 provides access to resources stored in a database 15. Theclients 10, 11 also may access remote platforms 17 or services providedby remote platforms 17 such as cloud computing arrangements andservices. The remote platform 17 may include one or more servers 13and/or databases 15.

More generally, various implementations of the presently disclosedsubject matter may include or be implemented in the form ofcomputer-implemented processes and apparatuses for practicing thoseprocesses. The disclosed subject matter also may be implemented in theform of a computer program product having computer program codecontaining instructions implemented in non-transitory and/or tangiblemedia, such as floppy diskettes, CD-ROMs, hard drives, USB (universalserial bus) drives, or any other machine readable storage medium,wherein, when the computer program code is loaded into and executed by acomputer, the computer becomes an apparatus for practicingimplementations of the disclosed subject matter. Implementations alsomay be implemented in the form of computer program code, for example,whether stored in a storage medium, loaded into and/or executed by acomputer, or transmitted over some transmission medium, such as overelectrical wiring or cabling, through fiber optics, or viaelectromagnetic radiation, wherein when the computer program code isloaded into and executed by a computer, the computer becomes anapparatus for practicing implementations of the disclosed subjectmatter. When implemented on a general-purpose microprocessor, thecomputer program code segments configure the microprocessor to createspecific logic circuits. In some configurations, a set ofcomputer-readable instructions stored on a computer-readable storagemedium may be implemented by a general-purpose processor, which maytransform the general-purpose processor or a device containing thegeneral-purpose processor into a special-purpose device configured toimplement or carry out the instructions.

Implementations may use hardware that includes a processor, such as ageneral-purpose microprocessor and/or an Application Specific IntegratedCircuit (ASIC) that includes all or part of the techniques according toimplementations of the disclosed subject matter in hardware and/orfirmware. The processor may be coupled to memory, such as RAM, ROM,flash memory, a hard disk or any other device capable of storingelectronic information. The memory may store instructions adapted to beexecuted by the processor to perform the techniques according toimplementations of the disclosed subject matter.

The foregoing description, for purpose of explanation, has beendescribed with reference to specific implementations. However, theillustrative discussions above are not intended to be exhaustive or tolimit implementations of the disclosed subject matter to the preciseforms disclosed. Many modifications and variations are possible in viewof the above teachings. The implementations were chosen and described inorder to explain the principles of implementations of the disclosedsubject matter and their practical applications, to thereby enableothers skilled in the art to utilize those implementations as well asvarious implementations with various modifications as may be suited tothe particular use contemplated.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A system, comprising a magnet fixed to anenclosure of a moveable partition; and a processor configured to:receive a magnetometer signal; determine that the magnetometer signalindicates a magnetic field strength less than a magnetic field strengthcorresponding to a closed moveable partition position and greater than athreshold magnetic field strength corresponding to a semi-open moveablepartition position; receive a request to place a home security systeminto an away mode; and based on the determination that the magnetometersignal indicates a magnetic field strength less than a magnetic fieldstrength corresponding to the closed moveable partition position andgreater than a threshold magnetic field strength corresponding to asemi-open moveable partition position, place the home security systeminto the away mode.
 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the moveablepartition comprises a door and the enclosure comprises a doorjamb. 3.The system of claim 1, the processor further configured to generate anotice that indicates the home security system is in the away mode. 4.The system of claim 1, the processor further configured to detectmovement of the moveable partition subsequent to the home securitysystem being placed into the away mode.
 5. The system of claim 4, theprocessor further configured to generate a response to the movement ofthe moveable partition.
 6. The system of claim 4, the processor furtherconfigured to determine the magnetic field strength is still above thethreshold level.
 7. The system of claim 6, the processor furtherconfigured to generate a response to the movement.
 8. The system ofclaim 4, the processor further configured to: determine the magneticfield strength is below the threshold level; and dispatch an intrusionalarm.
 9. A computer implemented method, comprising: receiving amagnetometer signal; determining that the magnetometer signal indicatesa magnetic field strength less than a magnetic field strengthcorresponding to a closed moveable partition and greater than athreshold magnetic field strength corresponding to a semi-open moveablepartition position; receiving a request to place a home security systeminto an away mode; and placing the home security system into the awaymode, based on the determination that the magnetometer signal indicatesa magnetic field strength less than a magnetic field strengthcorresponding to the closed moveable partition position and greater thana threshold magnetic field strength corresponding to the semi-openmoveable partition position.
 10. The method of claim 9, wherein themoveable partition comprises a door.
 11. The method of claim 9, furthercomprising generating a notice that indicates the home security systemis in the away mode.
 12. The method of claim 9, further comprisingdetecting movement of the moveable partition subsequent to the homesecurity system being placed into the away mode.
 13. The method of claim12, further comprising generating a response to the movement of themoveable partition.
 14. The method of claim 12, further comprisingdetermining the present magnetic field strength is still above thethreshold magnetic field strength.
 15. The method of claim 14, furthercomprising generating a response to the movement.
 16. The method ofclaim 12, further comprising: determining the present magnetic fieldstrength is below the threshold magnetic field strength; and dispatchingan intrusion alarm.
 17. A computer-implemented method, comprising:determining a home security system of a home is in a home mode thatallows movement through an entry point of the home, wherein the homesecurity system comprises a magnetometer and a magnet associated withthe entry point of the home, wherein the magnetometer is configured todetect a magnetic field of the magnet when the magnetometer is within athreshold distance from the magnet; receiving a request to place thehome security system into an away mode that detects intrusion into theentry point of the home and defines a response to the intrusion;receiving a magnetometer signal from the magnetometer indicating amagnetic field strength; determining a distance the entry point is openbased on the magnetic field strength detected by the magnetometer;determining that the distance the entry point is open is within thethreshold distance based on the magnetometer signal that indicates amagnetic field strength less than a magnetic field strengthcorresponding to a closed moveable partition position and greater than athreshold magnetic field strength corresponding to a semi-open moveablepartition position; and placing the home security system into the awaymode based on the determination that the distance the entry point isopen within the threshold distance.
 18. The method of claim 17, furthercomprising generating a response to the request to place the homesecurity system into the away mode.
 19. The method of claim 18, whereinthe response is selected from the group consisting of a notice, anauditory cue, and a visual cue.
 20. The method of claim 17, furthercomprising: detecting movement of a moveable partition at the entrypoint; determining the distance the entry point is open is not withinthe threshold distance; and dispatching an alarm.
 21. The method ofclaim 17, further comprising: detecting a second magnetic field; andproviding an indication of the second magnetic field.
 22. A homesecurity system, comprising: a magnetometer and a magnet associated withan entry point of a home, wherein the magnetometer is configured to adetect a magnetic field of the magnet when the magnetometer is within athreshold distance from the magnet; and a processor configured to:determine the system of a home is in a home mode, wherein the home modeallows movement through an entry point of the home without dispatchingan alarm; receive a request to place the system into an away mode thatdetects intrusion into the entry point of the home and defines aresponse to the intrusion; receive a magnetometer signal from themagnetometer indicating a magnetic field strength; determine a distancethe entry point is open based on the magnetic field strength detected bythe magnetometer; determine that the distance the entry point is open iswithin the threshold distance based on the magnetometer signal thatindicates a magnetic field strength less than a magnetic field strengthcorresponding to a closed moveable partition position and greater than athreshold magnetic field strength corresponding to a semi-open moveablepartition position; and place the home security system into the awaymode based on the determination that the distance the entry point isopen is within the threshold distance.
 23. A system, comprising a magnetfixed to a moveable partition that is surrounded by an enclosure; and aprocessor configured to: receive a magnetometer signal; determine thatthe magnetometer signal indicates a magnetic field strength less than amagnetic field strength corresponding to a closed moveable partitionposition and greater than a threshold magnetic field strengthcorresponding to a semi-open moveable partition position; receive arequest to place a home security system into an away mode; and based onthe determination that the magnetometer signal indicates a magneticfield strength less than a magnetic field strength corresponding to theclosed moveable partition position and greater than a threshold magneticfield strength corresponding to a semi-open moveable partition position,place the home security system into the away mode.